A taste of home...namit...lasa

It was Victor who told me in our chat earlier today that our an anthology of works of the diaspora Filipinos has just recently came out of Anvil's publishing house, and that among the works included was from our friend Cynthia. It is not anymore a surprise to me to hear that our friend's work is included in this latest offering from Anvil, particularly with such a title for an anthology. Having been out of the Philippines myself for several years now, my mouth cannot but help but water at the memory of a well seasoned sigang (our way of saying sinigang in Legaspi City)with the fresh sourness from the tamarind fruit, or the hotness of the Bicol express, and yes the delicate balance between the creaminess of the natok from a matured coconut milk and that signature consistency of a well-cooked leaves of the gabi plant (natong). When memory tags so deep in my heart, then a quick dash to the nearby Asian store aptly named Asian spices, would at least assuage the longing of one's palate and heart for the familiar taste of home. Still there is nothing that can replace the real experience of preparing the leaves of gabi al dente (oh it even reminds me now of May Trining again) when for just 25 cents she would choose from among her hundreds of thousands of gabi plants those which were best for the purpose of gulay na natong or in the case of sinuwan, those young leaves still "sleeping" as what I used to call them because they were still rolled but not quite nor open but not quite. May Trining would tell me that the best time to collect the leaves was either after a downpour because the rain washes away everything on top of the leaves or at least if it doesn't rain, then early morning when the dew are just starting to condense. Well Victor asked me why I am not anymore contributing to his Kadunong. I would like to but I still lack the discipline of our friend Cynthia to the craft.

In praise of the Filipino public school teachers

1989. That was the year I graduated from Bicol University (www.bicol-u.edu.ph/)and as with other new graduates was faced with the daunting task of getting a job. Four years back, during my graduation from high school, I was wondering if I would be able to go through another four years of college considering that my family was financially not capable of supporting me through. Fortunately, Aquinas University (www.aq.edu.ph/) where I studied the first three years of my high school offered a chance by way of a good working student program. Anyway to cut the long story short I finished my education degree not at Aquinas University but at Bicol University (another story). With my diploma and an eligibility that comes with my graduating as Cum Laude, I started teaching as a volunteer teacher at the Villahermosa National High School in Villahermosa, Rapu-Rapu, the hometown of my mother. On hindsight now I can say that the time I spent at Villahermosa laid down the foundation of my resolve that teaching offers a reward in itself. From Rapu-Rapu I went back to Legaspi City and taught at the high school department of Aquinas University. That period also proved to be a blessing in that during my time at Aquinas University, we got a wonderful and very good principal (Mr. Tuason), equally wonderful teaching staffs and to top it all wonderful and hard working students. I was given for my home room class assignment the first batch of students in the night high school department, one of whom later became a co teacher of mine and what better reward of our efforts during that time in Aquinas than to hear her say that one of the persons who influenced her to persevere and take up education for a course is her former teacher of mathematics who goes by the name of Rafael Buemia.

Schengen Visa

Today is the day for me to file my application for a new Schengen visa. The name Schengen originated from a small town in Luxembourg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen,_Luxembourg) where the first of the two agreements (so-called Schengen Agreements) was signed by representatives from 15 European countries namely: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden which was entitled (quite long)The 1985 Agreement between the Governments of the States of the Benelux Economic Union, the Federal Republic of Germany and the French Republic on the gradual abolition of checks at their common borders, also known as Schengen I, which provided for simple visual surveillance of private vehicles crossing the common border at reduced speed, without requiring such vehicles to stop. Persons who did not have to meet specific requirements at internal borders, as, for example, visa requirements, could use this fast lane procedure by affixing to the windscreen a green disc measuring at least eight centimetres in diameter.
For a third country national (a foreigner residing from example in Switzerland wishing to vist or travel to any of the countries which signed into the Schengen Agreements), to travel to any country belonging to the so-called Schengen area (the countries which signed the Schengen Agreements) requires a visa for that purpose. In Geneva, the task of issuing the Schengen visa has been given to the Consulat Generale of France. Since 1999, I have been issued around 4 Schengen visas, aside from the Schengen Residence permit which I got when I was studying for my master at the University of Munich. Over the years, I got to learn some lessons on applying for the Schengen visa the least of which is the more documents you submit, the better is the chance of you being issued the visa. Today, before going to the French Consulate here in Geneva which is fortunately for me is just 5 minutes away from our resident, I thought that I got all the documents enumerated by the one who answered the phone when I called for an appointment last October 18 ready. So when I got to the information desk of the French Consulate, I thought that the staff manning this first gate would not asked for any other documents, only to realize that this is not the case: He wanted to see the original passport of my partner which unfortunately is travelling to Copenhagen and will not be back until Friday. I was altogether ready to just say OK then I think I just need to go back, when the staff suddenly realized that indeed how can I have the passport of my partner when he should have it with him. I was then issued a number (035) and was let in the receiving area and have to wait to be called to pay for the visa, after which I was asked to go to another window to submit the application together with the receipt of payment. Again in the second window, the staff asked for the passport of my partner (again I have to repeat the explanation and added that what I got together with the application form is a photocopy of his passport. While going over the photocopy of my partner's passport he told me to come back around the 15th day after today, and to bring with my partner's passport. I have to tell him that I cannot possibly do this since by that time my partner would be in India and will not be back to Geneva until the first week of December. I think he soon realized that since I have been submitting almost the same documents evertime I filed for a new Schengen visa, then they can always checked on my files.

If I am an American voter I would vote for...

The Philippines, beause of her historical affinity to the United States of America follows a Presidential form of government - with the right to choose the president exercised by the citizens. In the case of a Filipino citizen, this right comes when one reaches his/her 18th birthday. Since turning 18 almost 24 years ago I hade the opportunity already of participating in 4 presidential elections. I would like to believe that I have chosen the right Filipinos - those who think of the well-being of the majority of the population than just satisfying the few interests-groups. For the first time also Filipinos who are outside the country can participate and exercise this right now with the Overseas Absentee Voting Law in effect. Two day from now, Americans would be selecting their next president. If I am an American citizen, I would vote for Senator Barack Obama for three reasons:
(1) He is ready for the job
(2) He has the requisite skills and character to do it
(3) and He more than anybody else epitomizes the ideals of America: that of a land of opportunity if one is ready to work for the attainment of that opportunity.
Over and above if he wins the presidency, then it will be a historic moment not only for America but also for the millions of migrants in so many part of the world.

a world only with vowels

what if one day the world wakes up hearing, speaking, writing, texting, blogging, listening only in vowels? a Canadian poet tried just doing that and here is the url link where you can read about him and his attempt of just writing with one vowel at a time.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7697000/7697762.stm

happy voweling

42

When I woke up this morning October 29 my bedroom was still dark, forgetting that last night when I went to bed I rolled down all the blinds shut since last night's temperature dropped and for someone used to the more balmy climes of a tropical country like the Philippines a one degree drop in the level of a mercurial thermometer is easily felt. So while I was hoping that the day would turn up for the better in terms of the temperature it seem that I will be relegated to a birthday celebration away from my family, alone and feeling colder. Anyway to be 42 today and as the popular saying goes it is always good to look at the brighter side of life and count one's blessings. So I would like to enumerate 42 blessings today as I celebrate my 42nd birth anniversary:
1. I was born - this enough I think is one very good blessing to be thankful
2. A mother and
3. A father
4-8 2 brothers and 3 sisters
9. finished my university studies
10. got a poem published
11. John
12. Den
13. Yong
14. Francis
15. Victor
16. Cynthia
17. Marilette
18. Agnes
19. Cecil
20. some more friends who are wonderful people
21. Edo
22. a loving partner
23. my own house (though badly needing repair)
24. good health (up to now at least)
25. a laptop (a Toshiba)
26. a license to drive (though still temporary)
27. a blog (yes, at least I can always keep a record of my thoughts when I feel the need)
28. have seen the Mont Blanc
29. rode the famous bullet train of Japan
30. visited the Kyoto Imperial Palace garden
31. fed the wild deers of the Nara Imperial Palace garden
32. attended a Japanese tea ceremony
33. experienced an open-air onzen
34. seen the milky way and
35. the magellanic clouds
36. at the rural part of Victoria in Australia
37. held a hand of a dying person (death is a certainty, life is a mystery)
38. experienced snow
39. listen to my first opera
40. visited the UN headquarter in Geneva
41. got partnered
42. updated this blog

Malaria

While it is true that the Philippines still is not malaria-free, I can consider my family and those belonging to at least my parents and my generations living in Legazpi City to be lucky enough to be spared the tragedy which still extract a high toll in terms of death and lost of productivity in most of the Third world particularly in Africa. Having been partnered with someone whose professional life is devoted to fighting this disease, it still for me a big question why having eliminated the disease in mostly western countries, yet WHO and people working against malaria cannot find a way to help eliminate the disease in Africa. Today Allan sent me this url link of a BBC program discussing one promising development about the fight against malaria in Africa, at http://bbcworldnews.survival.tv/documentaries/malaria.php

The Swiss post

If asked which aspect of Swiss life I will miss if the time comes for me to go back for good in the Philippines, then I will surely miss these three: the public transport system, the swiss postal service and cheese of course.
Well there are a lot of things you will truly appreciate of in Switzerland, for example they see to it that in every neighborhood there should be a park and green space for the people to enjoy nature, the garbage collection is done regularly, and there is no brownout. But again I will be missing the ever dependable public transport - which mind you include not only bus and tram but also boats because they also use the waterways of Geneva Lake for transport purposes.

On being served canapès while attending a vernissage

October 11, that would still be 9 days more from today. After being away for almost 3 months, I am slowly re-integrating into the routines of a foreigner living in a city whose culture is totally different from what it used to be back home. So back to the French culture which so pervades the life in this city where Calvin started his brand of Protestantism. Allan, my ever-patient guru of things more urbane and culturally-tuned to the nuances of the French culture suggested that we attend a vernissage on that Saturday. Well I couldnt remember Claire, my first ever teacher of French mentioning to our class something about this French word. Upon hearing the word I automatically think of varnish - since this is the closest word I know that at least in my limited knowledge of the English to the sound of vernissage. And loo and behold, when I consulted my ever dependable Larousse English-French dictionary the word vernissage is indeed the French word for varnishing. But used in another sense, it means a preview, or private viewing, or simply opening of an art exhibition. For a truly French vernissage, guests are served with canapès and wine. A cursory look at my Larousse said that a canapè is a small, usually decorative food held in the fingers often eaten in one bite, usually salty or spicy so that guests are encouraged to drink more. While having the canapès and wine, guests can also talk with the artists about the work on exhibit. Well, since my French is still not that sophisticated I might end up mostly having the canapès and the wine and will surely just concentrate on the exhibits. Mais si l'artiste parlera en Anglais, je vais parler chez il.

On being educated and being a senator

Education I firmly believe should make a person far more better not only as an individual but more so as a member of a group, or a profession, or a nation. Finishing a course of study, gaining a university degree from a university should imbued one with the mark of a humane, civilized and sensible person. A degree in economics for example should not be a reason for one to engage in business whose sole object is to gain as much profit without thinking of the welfare of those involved in the production of the goods. Nor a degree in law should be used to take advantage of the peoples' ignorance about their rights. However, this is not always the case. Take the case of the current situations involving President Gloria Arroyo and members of her family and cabinet with the supposedly major project of the government: National Broadband Network. Under oath, the people so far invited by the Senate to shed light into this anomalous, graft tainted project, gave statements showing that the President prior to the signing of a contract with the government of China, had been told that bribes were being offered. For someone who claimed to be an economist, having studied in one of the prestigious universities in America, who profess to all the world that she is against corruption, why did she sign the contract?
http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/letterstotheeditor/view/20080305-123028/Unschooled-but-educated

Erna Petersen Schapira

Today, 88 years ago, Erna Petersen Schapira was born. And this afternoon, in a restaurant overlooking one of the many lakes scattered all over Denmark, outside the city of Copenhagen we are celebrating over a simple lunch, with some of her surviving old friends and her two sons and their respective spouses and two of her grandsons and a niece her birthday. Her birthday is unique as with other celebrants whose birthday fall on a leap year, with the anniversary taking place only every fourth year. Of her 11 guests, we were the only couple from outside Denmark. The day as Allan used to tell me is typical of the Danish weather during this time - cloudy, a shower every now and then, and windy. Allan, I and Barbara came to pick her up from the old peoples' residence she calls home for the past 4 years now at around 11:30 in the morning. When we came, she was already dressed in a dark blue sweater over a white turtle neck and black pants. Barbara tried to convince her to wear one of her necklaces but she refused to wear one. However, she readily agreed on wearing a brooch.

EDSA 22

Twenty two years and there is reason I believe that Filipinos should remember EDSA 1. What we are experiencing after 22 years are the pains we have to overcome as we rebuild the structure of our society. Some might say that we should look at Singapore or Malaysia as an example of how to do the business of nation-building. Sadly we need to accept that what works for Singapore or Malaysia might not be so useful for our own purpose.

A personal philosophy of teaching and learning

After almost teaching for 11 years now, I still consider each day different from all the previous days I spent with my students (not to mention their parents, my co-teachers and superiors). The most challenging task a teacher confronts daily is how to make each encounter as personal, truthful, rewarding, and most of all inspirational to each and every student inside the classroom. For all the years, sleepless nights agonizing on how to do a lesson the next day in mathematics, I always look back on my own experiences as a student and ask myself if I would enjoy, understand and be motivated to participate in the lesson I am preparing for tomorrow. But still when tomorrow comes, even if one has done a neatly structured lesson plan, there is always that small chance that a simple word utterred by one student would make a big difference in the way the lesson takes shape on that day. Whatever and whereever the course of the lesson leads to I am always guided these 8 personal philosophy (at least I call them as such):

• Students are capable of learning.
• Learners are unique; they are influenced by many factors including their culture, background and prior experiences.
• All learners need a supportive environment in which to be challenged and encouraged to think.
• The classroom belongs to both learners and teachers; it is a place for valuing all ideas and thoughts.
• The classroom if made up of individuals at varying levels of growth and knowledge.
• As s teacher, I am a facilitator of the learners in setting appropriate goals for successful learning.
• As a teacher, I support learners' self-determination.
• As a teacher and lifelong learner, I encourage all learners to become lifetime learners.

TURN: A program doomed to fail

DepEd Order 7, s. 2008 issued on January 29, 2008 by Secretary Jesli Lapus described in so many beautiful words the Department of Education's priority program for 2008. Entitled TURN which stands for Turning Around Low Performance in English, the program envisions to raise the mean percentage score (MPS) in English of Grade 6 pupils and Second Year students by 30% over the baseline MPS of the 2006-2007 National Achievement Test. (http://www.deped.gov.ph/cpanel/uploads/issuanceImg/DO%20No.%207,%20s.%202008.pdf).Among the features of TURN is the provision of a speech laboratory per division. A speech laboratory when properly used is a big help for language teaching, particulary if such laboratory is properly equipped, maintained and continuously updated. And this is where I see the problem why I believe TURN is a doomed program. With myriad of problems foremost of which deal with the basic requirements needed for teachers to be able to teach (materials, textbooks, chalkboard, tables and chairs, reading materials just to name a few) as well as much needed trainings, a speech laboratory I think is not and will not be able to address those basic requirements. I remember back during the time when I was still teaching in one of the two public schools in Legazpi City, we have to pack in a classroom built to accomodate a maximum of 35-40 students, 75-80 students without proper lighting nor ventillation, and to top it all only a piece of a 2m x 3 m lawanit for a chalkboard. I remember one time I need to write something and ended up writing on the wall. Over and above, I remember asking my students to share one book 2-3 students. If only officials in the National Office of the Education Department would find time and immerse themselves in the reality teachers daily have to live with.

A visit to The Hague

One has to credit the ingenuity of the Dutch people. For such a country where a big part is under the sea level, with the constant threat of being inundated by water, the idea of making as much canal and levees and dikes to protect the country from this threat is a marvel. I am visiting The Hague for the third time staying with a Filipino-Dutch couple who are dear friends. Agnes is my Filipina friend and Adrie is her Dutch husband. Agnes also just like me used to teach in the same public school back in Legazpi City. She moved to the Netherlands soon after their wedding to start a family. Now they have a son - Vincent Philip - who is proving to be a very active, intelligent and a bundle of joy for this family. I arrived last Friday afternoon and will be stayin till this coming Monday, 18.02.2008. Today, being a Sunday, is just like any other sunday for a family: late breakfast, and much later today they will be visiting Agnes mother-in-law in the rural part of the Netherlands. Agnes and Adrie invited me to come with them, and I am taking this chance to see the rural part of this materially rich country.

By way of Rilke's Love Song on this eve of Valentine's Day

Love Song by Rainer Maria Rilke

How can I keep my soul in me, so that
it doesn't touch your soul? How can I raise
it high enough, past you, to other things?
I would like to shelter it, among remote
lost objects, in some dark and silent place
that doesn't resonate when your depths resound.
Yet everything that touches us, me and you,
takes us together like a violin's bow,
which draws one voice out of two seperate strings.
Upon what instrument are we two spanned?
And what musician holds us in his hand?
Oh sweetest song.

Patara-tara

La Saleve. Iyan an pangaran kan bulod na nasa retrato sa wala. Nasa France an bulod na inio pero helengon sa samuyang balkon. Kun sa Legazpi pede na an Kapuntkan Hills ikumparar. An kaibahan sana ta mas halangkaw an La Saleve tapos kun winter napapatos an ibabaw kainio ki snow. Pagkahapon, pagsulnop kan aldaw nag iiba an reflection sa bulod na inio: nag ko kolor pink an parte na nakahampang sa nagsusulnop na aldaw.

Kubrador

Every year, during the first ten days in February, Geneva holds the so called Black Movie Festival (http://www.blackmovie.ch/fr/index.php). This year, two films from the Philippines were selected for screening. I went to watch Kubrador which tells of the life of Amy played by Gina Pareno. The character Amy is an epitome of a jueteng kubrador: a life of constant struggle not to be caught by the police, over and above the need to earn as much commission from both the bettors and the operators. The movie showcase also a cross section of life in the big city, with all the mix of people, their own daily struggle of living, their dreams, hopes, frustrations, losses, death. Gina Pareno's acting is excellent: it is a soul baring itself not because she wants it but the reality sorrounding her existence does not give her other options. If life is a struggle for survival, then Kubrador showed it in its rawest: people living for the moment, dreams of tomorrow and a better hope too distant from the present lives they're living.

Exquisite voice from a Gentle Giant

It was not the first time that I heard the song Somewhere over the rainbow. When we went to attend the weeding of Allan's nephew (his cousin Hannah's middle son) in Israel last September, 2007, Amit and Karine chose the song as their wedding song. The voice singing that song was very good-exquisite if I can use that word. And the wedding took place during the sunset on a kibbutz overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. I promised myself to ask either Karine or Amit about their wedding song but the evening's event was so busy that I ended up coming back to Geneva without knowing who was the singer rendering quite a unique style to that all too familiar tune. Fast forward, two days ago, I suddenly remember about the tune while at the middle of a writing task for my course assignment essay. So I stopped, open my computer and googled the title of the song. Among the hits listed was a picture of a man-a giant- he was a perfect specimen of a sumo if he is in Japan. But he was not-he was in Hawaii. His name is Israel Kamakawiwe'Ole, known as IZ. Among the site listed was a youtube and here is the url link to it. Listen and enjoy the voice, the music, and the message from a gentle giant.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A2Jt4WOxN8